Current Plays

Hail, Society! The Golds may sit at the top of the hierarchy, but there’s room for everyone to scheme, manoeuvre, and climb the social ladder. This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas enter the world of Red Rising , the fast-paced card game from Stonemaier Games inspired by Pierce Brown’s bestselling science-fiction series. A little lighter and quicker than our usual fare, Red Rising more tha...

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas travel back to ancient Rome for Trajan , an oldie but a goodie that still has plenty to offer modern euro gamers. At the heart of the game is its brilliant action selection mechanism, where every move sets up possibilities for what comes next and turning that little tray of pieces becomes a tactical puzzle all its own. There are plenty of systems to ex...

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas turn their attention to Tapestry , Stonemaier Games’ bold and brilliant take on the civilization-building board game. Rather than following the familiar path of traditional civilization games, Tapestry charts its own course, delivering a wonderfully distinctive experience that just seems to hit all the right notes. From developing your civilization acr...

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas explore The Guild of Merchant Explorers , a light strategy board game about charting new territories, building trade routes, and expanding your influence across a beautifully illustrated world. With approachable rules and a relaxed pace, The Guild of Merchant Explorers offers an engaging experience without demanding a heavy strategic commitment. There...

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas set sail down the River of Gold ! With simple rules that belie a surprising amount of depth, this is a game that gets you playing quickly without leaving the strategic thinking at the dock. And what a beautiful game it is. The production is absolutely gorgeous, the gameplay is fast and engaging, and the theme is right up our alley. River of Gold manage...

This week on Current Plays, Jordan and Thomas step into the arena with Duel of Meloch , the newest release from Stonemaier Games! Imagine taking the DNA of Scythe and Expeditions , shrinking it down to an ambitious head-to-head duel, and setting two players loose in a race to accomplish competing objectives. If you know those games, Duel of Meloch feels wonderfully familiar while still bringing fr...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas delve into Golem , a wonderfully intricate euro where ancient magic, precious marbles, and a whole lot of very important decisions come together. At the heart of the game is a fascinating action selection system that constantly asks you to weigh three competing considerations: which colour of marble you take, which action you perform, and how powerful...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas dive beneath the waves with Endeavor: Deep Sea , an uplifting game of exploration, marine research, and conservation. And while there may be plenty of ocean to explore, there certainly isn't an endless supply of actions, so making the most of every opportunity is key! With limited action points, careful planning is essential, but Endeavor: Deep Se...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas check passengers in, prepare excursions, and try to build the most successful luxury vacation company in Galactic Cruise . Beneath its cheerful theme of interstellar tourism lies a richly deep euro game packed with interconnected systems, rewarding engine building, and meaningful decisions at every turn. The hosts discuss how Galactic Cruise manages t...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas launch into the stars with Last Light by Roy Cannaday and Grey Fox Games, a lightning-fast 4X adventure where the fate of the galaxy can change in the blink of an eye. Expand your empire, explore the unknown, exploit precious resources, and prepare for the inevitable clash as rival civilizations race toward the last light in the universe. The hosts di...

This week on Current Plays , Thomas is away, so Jordan is joined by special guest Ryan from How I Roll on YouTube to wage a civil war in The Anarchy by Garphill Games. Set against the backdrop of 12th-century England's struggle for the throne, every decision carries weight as castles are fortified, influence spreads, and the kingdom hangs in the balance. Jordan and Ryan share their appreciatio...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas descend into the fractured world of Revenant , Mindclash Games’ highly anticipated follow-up to Voidfall . As you might expect from Mindclash, this is not a game that hands out easy decisions. Every action matters, every resource is precious, and every turn presents a new puzzle to solve. In other words, it’s right in the hosts’ wheelhouse. At its hea...

This week on Current Plays , Thomas is away, so Jordan is joined by special guest host Logan for a trip into the Marvel Universe with Marvel Dice Throne Missions . Together, they take on a series of standalone challenges that deliver all the fast-paced combat, dramatic dice rolls, and satisfying hero powers that make Dice Throne such a fan favourite. Unlike the campaign-driven structure of Dice Th...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas leave the sprawling epics behind for a cozy journey through Middle-earth with The Hobbit: There & Back Again by Reiner Knizia. Sometimes a lighter adventure is exactly what the table needs, and this charming little trek proved that simple doesn’t mean shallow. The hosts talk about how the clever dice drafting creates plenty of meaningful choices,...

Your hosts Jordan and Thomas run through the various games they played at BreakOut Con 2026; with a little dose of the old banter thrown into this nostalgic long-form bonus episode!

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas take the captain’s chair and set a course for one of the biggest surprises in recent memory: Star Trek: Captain’s Chair . Jordan may be the resident Trekkie, but even Thomas, with only a passing familiarity with the franchise, found himself completely pulled in by this stellar design. And Jordan? He simply can’t stop playing it. One game turned into s...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas journey across imperial China with Tianxia , a grand strategy game of diplomacy, influence, and shifting power. Provinces rise and fall, alliances form and fracture, and every action sends ripples across the empire as players work to guide the fate of the realm. The hosts spend much of the episode unpacking the game’s many interconnected systems, expl...

Order up, folks! This week on Current Plays Jordan and Thomas are cookin’ up burgers, slingin’ pizza, and movin’ cola like hotcakes in Food Chain Magnate , the big daddy of strategic restaurant games! From hiring errand boys and management trainees to building a marketing machine that’d make the Mad Men blush, this game is all about thinkin’ ahead while stayin’ ready to change gears at the drop of...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas set sail with A Feast for Odin , Uwe Rosenberg’s sprawling Viking epic and a true modern classic. From raiding and trading to crafting and exploring, the game offers a remarkable range of paths to prosperity with each one weaving into the next like the threads of a well-worn saga. The hosts talk about why the game has earned its legendary status, espe...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas finally venture into Feya’s Swamp , a long-anticipated journey into a shifting landscape of settlements, trade, and careful positioning. As the swamp slowly fills with villages and pathways, the board begins to tighten around the players, turning every placement into a meaningful decision. Tactical positioning, clever interaction, and the evolving map...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas chart a course through history with Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn , bringing the legendary computer franchise to the tabletop. From humble beginnings to world-shaping influence, the game captures the sweeping arc of building a civilization: expanding territory, advancing technology, and pursuing victory on your own terms. They explore how the c...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas step through the gates of The White Castle by Isra C. and Shei S., a sharp and elegant euro set in feudal Japan. Beneath its serene exterior lies a game of razor-focused decision making, where every die placement matters and every action feels consequential. The hosts talk about how the streamlined design delivers big strategic choices in a surprising...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas head to the zoo with Ark Nova , the heavyweight strategy title currently ranked #2 on BoardGameGeek. Tasked with building the most successful modern zoo, the hosts dive into a design packed with clever decisions, long-term planning, and a steady stream of satisfying combos. They chat about the game’s standout action-selection system, where timing and...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas travel to ancient Jerusalem with Ezra and Nehemiah , a game of rebuilding, restoration, and carefully chosen actions. From the first turn, the engaging action-selection system takes centre stage, with three shared action areas that interlock in satisfying ways and reward thoughtful timing. Watching those spaces fill, shift, and interact gives the whol...

This week on Current Plays , Jordan and Thomas kneel before the throne of The Old King’s Crown —and emerge utterly enchanted. What begins as a simple, elegant contest for power quickly reveals itself as a masterclass in subtle manipulation, clever timing, and razor-fine positioning. Every move feels like courtly intrigue: a quiet nudge here, a delicate shift there, and suddenly the entire kingdom...